Electrically-operated track switch



April 20 1926. 1,581,61';

G. A. MEAD ELECTRICALLY OPERATED TRACK svmcn Filed Jan. 5, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 20 1926. 1,581,614

G. A. MEAD ELECTRICALLY OPERATED TRACK SWITCH Filed Jan. 5, 1924 2 SheetsSheet 2 Patented Apr. 20, 1926.

STATES PATENT FFlCE.

GEORGE A. MEAD. or MANSFIELD, ortro, secretion o one onto BRASS corrrAnY, or" MANsFIELD, onto, A couronarron on NEW JEnsEY.

ELEGl-RIGALI Y-OPERATED TEASE sw'rrcrr.

Application filed January 3, 1924;. Serial No. 684,250;

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. hLlEAD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an ElectricallyOperated Track Switch, oi which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to track switches and particularly to electrically and automatically operated track switches under control of the car operator as he approaches the switch.

The object of my invention is to provide a system which can be operated by the car operator by applying the well known principle of power on and power oil the mote and constitutes an improvement over my .,closure in a co-pending application, Serial #679,099, filed Dec. 7, i923.

My invent-ion resides in the new and novel" construction, combination and arrangement of the various electrically operated switches, circuits, etc. hereinafter more fully described and set 'forth in the drawings ac companying this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a. schematic view showing the vaiious circuits usually found in an electrically operated car and which circuits I make use of in the operation or my invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic drawing showing the arrangement of the various elements maizing up my invention under normal conditions and with the switch tongue set to the curve position.

Fig. 3 is a schematic drawing; showing the arrangement of the various elements comp. sing my invention imn'icdiatelyalter the invention has been put into operation by the car operator with .power oil" the motors and the track switch shown as thrown to the straight ahead position.

4. shows a schematic arrangement ct the various elements comprising my invention alter the system has been set in operation with power off the motors and after a predetermined time.

Fig. 5 is a schematic drawing of my'invention showing the relation of the various parts after the system has been setin operation with power on the motors and the track switch tongue shown set iorvthe curve position.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing the relation ofthe various elements comprising my invention in a modified form from that shown in the previous arrangements.

Referring to Fig. 1, it is invariably found that electrically operated cars are provided with a current collector ll and a trolley pole l" connecting the current collector to the car. The car is usually provided with motors M and-a controller C for applying power on? or power oil the meters at th will ofthe car operator. The cars are also provided with auxiliary circuits for supplying current to the heaters H,'lip;hts L and the air compressor F. The auxiliary circuits are not under the control of the con troller G and,'therefore, their current is not only "ariahle, dcp-z'inding on which appa ratus is in operation, but the current nay be considerable as compared with the current flowing through the motors M- and, therefore, i take this fact into account in designing certain elements as herein later described. All apparatus derives its current from the trolley wire through the collector W and througha common ground G or separate grounds, as may he desired. It will he noted that when the operator turns his controller C to the power on position that a: heavy flow of current will -pass through the motors M, but when he turns his controller to the power oil position no currentwill flow through the motors M, but currentmay flow through the apparatus H. L and F. The power on and power oil operation of the controller I make use otter the operationott my invention and I have so arranged my system that with t -yoweron the motors the switch ,tongue is automatically set to the curve position and when the contr-olli-n' is set to the power oil position the switch tongue is auton'iatically set to the straight ahead position.

Referring to Fig. 2 I employ a contact pan P provided with two contact members 1 and 2 which are placed adjacent the trolley conductor 3 and which are normally insulated from each other and so arranged that when the current collector l Vengages the pan- P'the collector will be out of engagement with the conductor 3. However, when the collector engages the panP the elements 1 and 2 will be electrically connected. t will also benoted that when the is also a path for the current to flow from the contact pan to the round through the trolley and apparatus 1, L and F if in operation, and also through the motors M if the controller is set to power on. I also employ a track switch A which comprises two solenoids 4 and 5 and having one terminal connected to the groundG through the common conductor 6. The solenoids are provided with a plunger 7 to which a connecting rod 8 is secured which in turn is connected to a track switch tongue 9. When the solenoid 4 is energized the plunger 7 is drawn inwardly as shown in Fig. 3 andthe tongue 9 is set for the straight ahead position and when the solenoid 5 is energized the plunger 7 is drawn outwardly and the switch tongue 9 is set for the curve position as shown in Fig. 2.

I also employ an electrically operated switch B which is provided with two coils 1.0 and 11 and an armature 12 adapted to engage the contacts 13 and 14, but which is normally in engagement with the contact 13. The Contact 14 is electrically connected to the remaining terminalot the solenoid 5 by the conductor1'5, while the contact 13 is connected to the remaining terminal of the solenoid 4 by the conductors 16 and'17, switch arm 18 and contact 19. It will be evident that when the arm 12 is deenergized and engages the contact 13 with the switch arm 18 closed, that the solenoid 4 will be energized and the switch tongue thrown to the.straight ahead position, and if the arm 12 engages the contact 14 the solenoid 5 will be energized and 'the switch tongue 9 moved to the curve position.

I also employ an electrically operated switch G provided with operating coils 20 and 21 and an arm 22, also contacts 23, 24 and 25. The switch arm 22 is normally in engagement with the contact 25 and out of engagement with the -contacts-23 and 24. The relation of the contacts to the switch arm are such that the arm 22 will engage the contacts23 and 24 before the circuit is broken at the contact 25, at least the arm should engage the contact 24 before the circuit is broken at 25 for the reasons later given.

One terminal of the coil is connected to the contact member 1 by the conductor '26 and theother terminal isconnected to the contact'25 by the conductor 27 and the switch arm 22 is normally connected to the trolley conductor 3 by the conductor 28. It

coillO. The coil 10 is wound preferably with a few turns of large sized wire and its turns are so proportioned that when current is flowing through the motors M,

the ampere turns will be suflicient to raise the arm 12, but if the current flowing through the coil 10 is that due to the auxiliary apparatus H, L and F, the ampere turns will not be sufficient to raise the arm 12.

lVhen the contact member 2 is energized by being connected to-the contact member 1 through the medium of the collector the coil will be energize-d as it has its terminals connected to the contact member 2 by the conductor 29, and to the ground by the conductor 30.

ll hen the coil 20 is energized the arm 22 will be raised and engage the contacts 23 and 24 and will break its engagement with the contact 25, but, as already stated, the engagement is not broken at contact until the engagement is made at contacts and 24. If this were not the condition, then there. would be a vicious arcing at contact as the circuit would be complctel Y broken at this point, but by making the relation oi maize and break as stated, the contact memher 1 will be thrown into electrical engagement with the trolley conductor 3 through the conductor whereby the coil 10 will be duly energized'and the contact member 1 will remain energized. It the coil 10 were left in circuit while the collector engages the contact pan P the car operator could inadvertently change the position of the track switch it he should enter the pan with power oil and before he left it should change his controller to power on as in that case the arm 12 would be brought into engagement with the contact 14 and the solenoid 5 would be energized while it was the original intention to energize the solenoid 4.

As soon as the arm 22'is raised and engages the contact 23, current will flow through the conductor 32, coil 21,- and conductor 33 to the arm 12 thereby energizing the same. hen the coil 21 is energized it becomes a stick or l'iolding coil for the arm 22 and will maintain the arm in engagement with the contacts 23 and 24 as long current is flowing through the solenoid 4 or regardless oi whether, the collector is in contact with the pan P or has passed beyond the pan.

Under these circumstances it is necessary to provide means to open the circuit supplying current to the switch arm 12 in order that the system may be returned to normal for the operation by a following at, and also to prevent the current flowing through thesolenoid 4 or beyond a predetermined time as these solenoids are usually designed to operate under a high current for a short time and are,therefore, in danger of being injured by a prolonged application of current, as would be the case it the collector ll should come to rest upon the pan P.

'llherejore, I provide an electrically operated switch D provided with two controller coils 2-34. and 35. The coil is normally energizer due to its tern'iinals being connected to the switch arm 18 by the conductor 26 and to the conductor 28 by the conductor 37 thereby its arm 18 is normally raised and held in engagen'ient with the contact 19. The coil 3 1 has its terminals connected to the s itch arm 18 through the conductor 36 and to the switch arm 12 through the conductor 38, therefore, the coil 3 1 is energized only when the switch arm 12 is energized through the closing of the switch 0.

As soon as the switch arm 22 is closed upon its contacts 23 and 24 and as there is practically no resistance between the trolley conductor 8 and the switch arm 18, the coil will be practically shortcircuited on account. of its terminals being connected to the switch arm 18 and to the conductor 28 leading to the trolley conductor, therefore, the,

coil 35 will. be tie-energized. Likewise the coil 34: will be short circuited after t is connected to the switch arm 12 and to .the switch arm 18 and no current can flow therethrough while the switches and I) are closed, and the arm 12 in engagement with its contact 13. The de-energizing of the coil and non-energizing oi the coil Bet upon the closing of the switch C will permit the switch I) to open and assoon as this occurs the short circuit is removed from the coils 3-1 and and they will be energized, but they are wound for equal energizing capacity and connected in differential, therefore, they will maintain the switch D in an open position and will prevent current flowing through the conductor 17 and the solenoid The switch D will not open immediately upon the rte-energizing of the coil 35, but due to the residual magnetism therein and the relation of the arm 18 to the niag-.

netic core of the coils 34: and 35, all of which is well known to those skilled in the art, a time lag is provided in the switch 1) hence the switch I) will open after a predetermined time after the closing of the switch C, when the arm 12engages the contact 13 as is the case when the collector engages the pan with power oil.

In order to open the circuit 15 leading to the solenoid 5 which will be closed when the collector engages the pan P with power on, I make use of the coil 11 for this purpose. it will be noted that the coil 11 is connected to the conductor 16 by the conductor 39 and is connected to the conductor 15 by the conductor 10, therefore, whenever the conductor 16 isenergized, current will flow through the coil 11 and out through the conductor 15 to ground through the solenoid 5, The coil 11, however, has its winding so proportioned that it will not be sulficiently energized to raise the arm 12, but if the arm 12 has been raised by the coil 10 the coil 11 will hold the arm in a raised position. Itwill also be evident that when the eol ductor 16 is energized it is due to the fact that the collector has engaged the pan P with power oil, therefore, the ener gizing'o'f the coil 11 when the conductor 16 is energized has no effect upon the arm 12.

ll", however, the arm 12 has been raised due to the collector engaging the pan P with power on then the coil 11 becomes a. holding or stick coil and current will then flow through the coil up through the conductor 39 and from the conductor 16 through the solenoid #1 to ground. It will also be evident that as longas the switch D remains closed that the coil 11 will be energized regardless i of whether the collector is in engagement with the. pan or has passed oil the pan.

It will be noted thatwhen the. arm 12 engages the contact 14 and is energized that the coils 341- and 35 do not operate under a short circuit, but each coilis immediately energized, but in differential relation as soon as the arm 22 engages the contact 23,.

and a time lag is also provided by this means against the switch D opening immediately. As soon as the switch I) does open, however, the circuit by which the coil 11 is energized will be broken and its holding efli'ect become nil and the arm 12 will return to its normal position in engagement with the contact 13. The switch 18, however, cannot close as long as the arm 22remains in engagement with the contact 23 and this engagement will take place. as long as the. collector is in contact with the pan'P or for a period of time after the collector has left. the pan while the switch D remains closed.

"lhe How of current. in the coil 11 is re- I versed,depending upon which the system is working, power on or power off the motors.

It in approaching the track switch the car operator desires to go straight ahead, he will turn his controller to the power oil position so as to pass over the pan P with his controller il1 'tll-13OWF 01" position. As soon as the collector engages the pan the switch C will be operated to close the circuit through the solenoid l andthe c-irsmall amount.

From this it will be seen that the solenoids land?) are supplied with current for apredetermined time regardless of the position of the current collector after it has set the system in operation with power off.

If the car operator desires to take the curve when he approaches the pan P, he will throw his controller to the power on position. In this case the coil 10 will be energized and the switch C operated and the arm 12 raised into engagement with the contactlsl asshown in Fig. 5. The opening of the circuit through the coil 10 at is under a short circuit due to the arm 22 engaging the Contact 24- prior to the opening of the circuit at'the contact 25, therefore, the arcing is either eliminated or reduced to a very The holding coil 11 comes into operation immediately, however, and maintains the arm 12 in engagementn'ith the contact 1% until the switch D opens after a predetermined time which may be while the collector is still in engagement with the pan or after it has passed beyond thepan. It will be noted that should the car for some very remote reason stop with its controller in engagement with thepan P after it has engaged it with power on and the switch D has opened, that, the switch 12 will then drop back into engagement with the contact 13, but thiscannot operate the track switch to the straight ahead position for the reason that the circuit through the solenoid at is open at the contact 19 and held open as long as the COllQCtOl QDgElgGS the pan P due I V1 111 ()OlilblliZlLlOll, i111 .GlGClZllCttllY operated to the energizing of the'coil 20.

The modification shown in Fig. 6 is substantially the same as the system shown in the other figures with the exception that across the terminals of the coil 10 I place a resistance Rjwhich is normally in shunt with'the coil 10,- but when the switch C has been energized the conductor 27 is opened at the contact and, therefore, the resistance R is no longer a shunt across the coil 10, but does remainas a connection between the contact member 1 and the trolley conductor 3. V i The object of the resistance R is to decrease the current which will flow'through the coil 10 and, therefore, decrease the current which must be broken by the switch C at the contact 25. The use of the resistance R permits the system being used without the conductor 31 as the resistance R will form a connection between the pan and the trolley conductor both when the switch C is opened and closed. The winding of the,coil 10 is so proportioned that it will operate to pickup the arm '12 when the current due to the collector engaging the pan with power on is the same as will cause the coil 10 to pick up the arm 12 in the previously described figures. It will be evident that the energizing of the coil 10 depends upon the drop of potential across the resistance R and, working on this principle, the current in the coil 10 will be quite small as compared rith the, current which flows through the coil 10 in the system shown in the other figures, therefore, the current which will be broken in the contact 25 will be much easier to control than in the first system.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that many changes are possible from the particular system herein described, but which will fall within the scope of my in vention.

I claimz" 1. A switch operating system comprising in combination, an electrically operated track switch, a branched operating circuit, an electrically operated switch to position said branch circuits, means to position said electrically operated switch comprising a coil and an operating circuit therefor, and means to open said operating circuit after said coil has operated to operate said electrically op- :erated switch.

2. A switch operating system comprising in combination, an electrically operated track switch, a branched operating circuit whose branches connect to the track switch operating mechanism, a controlling switch therefor having an operating coil to position the controlling switch relative to the branch circuits and an operating circuit therefor and means to open the last said operating circuit by a'moving car.

A switch operating system comprising track switch, a'contact paiipopei'ating circuits to said track switch, a controlling switch therefor, provided with a coil and operating circuit therefor connected to a source of electrical supply and to the pan, an electrically operated switch to open the circuit to the coil and close a circuit from the source of power to the pan.

i. A switch operating systemcomprising in combination, an electrically operated track switch, a contact pan, operating circuits to said track switch, a controlling switch therefor, provided with a coil and operating circuit therefor connected to a source of electrical supply and to the pan,

an electrically operated-switch to open the circuit to the coil andclose acircuit from the source of power to the pan and close the circuits to saidtrack switch.

5. The combination with a trolley conductor, a contact pan, an electrically operated track switch and electrically operated means to control the directional operation of the track switch, of electrically operated means to close a norn'ially open circuit leading to the track switch, open a normally closed circuit to the first said means and close a nor mally open circuit from the conductor to the pan.

(5.1K switch operating system comprising in combination, an electrically operated track switch, a contact pan, operating circuits to said track switch, a controlling switch therefor, provided with a coil and operating circuit therefor connected to a source of electrical supply and to the pan, an electrically operated switch to open the circuit to the coil.

7. A switch operating system comprising in combination, a trolley conductor, a contact pan to he engaged by a current collector, an electrically operated track switch, aswitch to control the directional operation of the track switch and having an operating coil and a normally closed circuit connected to the conductor and the pan, anelectrically operated switch normally closing the said circuit and operating to open said circuit when the collector engages the pan.

8. A, switch operating system comprising in combination, a trolley conductor, a contact pan to he engaged by a current collector, an electrically operated track switch, a

switch to control the directional operation of the track switch and havingan operating coil and a normally closed circuit connected to the conductor and the pan, an electrically operated switch normally closing the said circuit and operating to open said circuit when the collector engages the pan and simultaneously close a circuit from the conductor to the pan.

9. A switch operating system comprising: an electrically operated track switch, a branched operating circuit therefor, a con trolling switch for said branched circuit and having an operating coil and connections to said coil, means to open the circuit to said coil and automatically controlled means to open the branches of said branch circuit after a predetermined time.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

GEORGE A. MEAD, 

